Microfluidics System for Mixing at Least Two Starting Materials

ABSTRACT

A microfluidics system for mixing at least two starting materials having a prescribed number of parallel and identical mixing or reaction branches, in which a number of supply ducts corresponding to the number of starting materials open into a mixing or reaction channel. Each of the supply ducts includes an intake line for each starting material, an injection pump for each supply duct and a valve circuit between each intake line for a starting material, where the supply ducts for a respective starting material and a respective injection pump are provided to each respective supply duct. The valve circuit is configured to connect the injection pumps to the suction line in a first valve position, shut off the injection pumps in a second valve position, and to connect the injection pumps to the associated inlet channels in a third valve position. Each of the injection pumps, which are connected to each valve circuit, have a common drive. All mixing or reaction branches connected in parallel can thus be supplied with the same volumetric flow of starting material.

Microfluidics systems promise tremendous improvements in quality, rapidity and cost outlay, as compared with macroscopic systems, when chemical mixing and reaction processes are being carried out, since the reaction and dwell times in the fluid paths of microfluidics systems are very short and only very small substance quantities are used and processed with high accuracy and in a reproducible way. So that, especially in industrial production, the quantity, throughput and productivity requirements can be satisfied, the fluid paths (mixing or reaction branches) have to be connected in parallel, where appropriate in large numbers (numbering-up).

Depending on the application, the parallel connection may be such that in each case a plurality of identical microducts are formed and connected in parallel in microfluidics components, for example a mixer or reactor, or such that entire microfluidics components or systems composed of microfluidics components are multiply connected in parallel. By means of suitable microengineering methods (for example, etching methods, LIGA technology or micromechanics), the parallel fluid paths can be produced identically with high precision, so that in each case the same process conditions, such as pressure, temperature, mass throughflow, etc., should prevail in all the parallel-connected fluid paths and therefore in each case the same products can be obtained from all the parallel mixing or reaction branches and be merged without losses of quality. This also presupposes, however, that all the parallel-connected mixing or reaction branches are supplied with the same volume flows of starting materials. The problem arises here that microfluidics systems are inclined to operationally induced variations in the effective throughflow resistance due to blockages of the fluid paths. Thus, for example, reaction products may stick as solids to the duct walls (fouling), thus increasing the pressure drop across the reaction branch, and then come loose again, with the result that the pressure drop decreases abruptly. This behavior may occur cyclically and to a different extent or at different times for each reaction branch. Whereas in macroscopic systems, for example, the mass throughflow can readily be measured, virtually fault-free, and be delivered to a throughflow control, this is not possible at a justifiable outlay for the individual fluid paths in the case of parallelized microfluidics systems.

US 2005/0232387 A1 discloses a microfluidics system for mixing two starting materials, in which two injection pumps convey the starting materials through two supply ducts into a mixing or reaction duct. Furthermore, US 2005/0232387 A1 discloses a valve circuit for the continuous conveyance of the respective starting material and for filling the respective injection pump, consisting here of two individual injectors, the valve circuit being designed, in a first valve position, to connect one of the two injectors to an intake line for the respective starting material, in a second valve position to shut off said injector and, in a third valve position, to connect it to the supply duct and to the other injector located on the latter.

EP 0 299 658 A2 discloses a system for mixing at least starting materials, in which two injection pumps driven synchronously by means of a common drive suck in the starting materials from reservoirs via valve arrangements and subsequently convey them through two supply ducts into a mixing unit.

DE 20 2005 007 485 U1 discloses an arrangement for the metering of fluids by means of injection pumps and of valves, assigned to these, for changing over between fluid uptake and fluid discharge.

In this case, a plurality of the injection pumps may be operated in parallel via a single drive.

DE 103 41 110 A1 discloses a mixing and metering section which is formed by microengineering on a chip and which is filled with the starting materials via valves by an injection pump.

The object on which the invention is based is, in a microfluidics system, to supply all the parallel-connected mixing or reaction branches with the same volume flows of starting materials and at the same time to equalize the initial volume flow from one and the same starting material.

The object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of the microfluidics system specified in claim 1.

Claim 2 specifies an advantageous design of the microfluidics system according to the invention.

The subject of the invention is therefore a microfluidics system for mixing at least two starting materials,

-   with a predetermined number of parallel and identical mixing or     reaction branches, in each of which a number of supply ducts which     corresponds to the number of starting materials issue into a mixing     or reaction duct, -   in each case with an intake line for each starting material, -   in each case with an injection pump for each supply duct, -   in each case with a valve circuit between each intake line of a     starting material, the supply ducts for the respective starting     material and the injection pumps for these supply ducts, -   the valve circuit being designed, in a first valve position, for     connecting the injection pumps to the intake line, in a second valve     position for shutting off said injection pumps and, in a third valve     position, for connecting them to the supply ducts assigned in each     case, -   in the second valve position the injection pumps in each case     connected to each valve circuit being fluidically connected to one     another, and -   the injection pumps in each case connected to each valve circuit     having a common drive.

An injection pump is provided in each case per starting material for each mixing or reaction branch, these injection pumps being driven in common, as is known, for example, for double injection pumps. In the first valve position, the injection pumps are filled simultaneously with the respective starting material by suction intake. In the second valve position, the sucked-in starting materials are brought to a predetermined pressure. In this case, the individual injection pumps are connected fluidically to one another, so that the same pressure prevails in all the injection pumps. In the third valve position, the starting materials are distributed to the parallel mixing or reaction branches, each injection pump supplying in each case a reaction or mixing branch and being decoupled fluidically in each case from the other injection pumps. Since all the injection pumps are driven in common, the volume flows in all the parallel mixing or reaction branches are identical, even when these have different throughflow resistances.

In order to achieve a continuous supply of the mixing or reaction branches, in a way known per se, for each injection pump, a further injection pump operating complementarily to this may be provided, the two injection pumps alternately sucking in the starting material and supplying it to the reaction branch.

For a further explanation of the invention, reference is made below to the figures of the drawing in which, in particular,

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic exemplary embodiment of the microfluidics system according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed example of the supply of different mixing or reaction branches with a starting material.

FIG. 1 shows a microfluidics system for mixing here m=3 starting materials 1, 2 and 3 which are contained in reservoirs. The microfluidics system has n parallel and identical mixing or reaction branches 41 . . . 4 n, in each of which a number of supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n which corresponds to the number of starting materials 1, 2, 3 issue in each case into a mixing or reaction duct 61 . . . 6 n. These starting materials 1, 2, 3 are sucked in from the reservoirs via intake lines 71, 72, 73 and are subsequently distributed to the supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n. For this purpose, in each case an injection pump 811 . . . 83 n is provided for each supply duct 511 . . . 53 n, in each case a controllable valve circuit 91, 92, 93 lying between each intake line 71, 72, 73 of a starting material 1, 2, 3, the supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n for the respective starting material 1, 2, 3 and the injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n for these supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n.

The valve circuits 91, 92, 93 are in each case designed, in a first valve position, for connecting the injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n to the respective intake line 71, 72, 73 for sucking in the starting material 1, 2, 3 from the reservoir, in a second valve position for shutting off the injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n, so that an operating pressure can be built up in the injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n, and, in a third valve position, for connecting the injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n to the supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n assigned in each case, in order to press the starting material 1, 2, 3 into the respective supply ducts 511 . . . 53 n. The injection pumps 811 . . . 83 n in each case connected to each valve circuit 91, 92, 93 have a common drive 101, 102, 103 and are driven in parallel.

As indicated in FIG. 1, the valve circuits 91, 92, 93 may consist of individual valves or be set up as multiple-way valves.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the valve circuit 91 in the form of a multiple-way rotary valve, via which the here, for example, n=4 injection pumps 811 . . . 814 are connectable to the intake line 71 for the starting material 1 in the first valve position I, illustrated by unbroken lines, and are connectable to the individual supply ducts 511 . . . 513 in the third valve position III, illustrated by dotted lines. In the second, middle valve position II, which is illustrated here by dashed lines, the injection pumps 811 . . . 814 are shut off, so that the sucked-in starting material 1 can be brought to a predetermined pressure before it is introduced into the supply ducts 511 . . . 513. In this valve position, the individual injection pumps 811 . . . 814 are fluidically connected to one another (connection 11), so that the same pressure prevails in all the injection pumps 811 . . . 814 and can be measured by means of a single pressure sensor 12. 

1.-2. (canceled)
 3. A microfluidics system for mixing at least two starting materials, comprising: a predetermined number of parallel and identical mixing or reaction branches, each of the mixing or reaction branches having a plurality of supply ducts which correspond to the number of starting materials, said plural supply ducts issuing into a mixing or reaction duct; respective intake lines for each of the starting materials; respective injection pumps for each of the supply ducts; respective valve circuits for each of the intake lines, each valve circuit arranged between a respective intake line, the plural supply ducts associated with the respective intake line, and the injection pumps associated with the respective intake line; wherein said each valve circuit is configured, in a first valve position, to connect each respective injection pump associated with the respective intake line to the respective intake line, configured in a second valve position to shut off the each respective injection pump associated with the respective intake line, and configured in a third valve position to connect the injection pumps associated with the associated intake line to respective ones of the supply ducts associated with the respective intake line; wherein, for each of the valve circuits, each of the injection pumps connected to a respective one of the valve circuits are fluidically connected to one another in the second valve position; and wherein, for each of the valve circuits, each of the injection pumps connected to the respective one of the valve circuits are connected to a common drive.
 4. The microfluidics system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an additional injection pump for each respective one of the injection pumps, the each additional fuel pump operating complementarily to the each respective one of the injection pumps. 